This is a final instalment on congregational singing (until I change my mind in a few years’ time).
Over the summer I’ve been wondering how to encourage our congregation to sing more heartily. This is partly because the topic is at the forefront of my mind at the moment, but also because of my pride: I’m still smarting after two people in the 14 years I’ve worked here have said that their congregations sing better than the one I run music for. I’m sure that there are many congregations that sing better than St. Helen’s (not that it’s a competition), and both of the people who spoke up were from Welsh churches, which is a small consolation for me, but it still hurts.
Wesley’s directions
It was as I was talking this through with a friend that I was reminded of John Wesley’s ‘Directions for singing’. This is a seven-point introduction, which can be found in some Methodist hymn books, including Select Hymns (1761).
